1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a composition comprising a Stauntonia Hexaphylla extract and use of the Stauntonia Hexaphylla extract.
2. Description of the Related Art
An inflammatory response is an immune response which locally occurs, when cells or tissues are damaged or broken due to various causes, for example, exposure to harmful substances or organic systems including external infectious agents such as bacteria, fungi, viruses or a variety of allergens, so that the damage is minimized and damaged sites are restored to an original state.
In addition, various causes inducing inflammation include physical causes such as trauma, burns, frostbite and radioactivity, chemical causes such as chemicals, for example acids, and immunological causes such as antibody response. Furthermore, inflammation may be caused by imbalance of vessels or hormones.
The inflammatory response is a defense mechanism which is useful for protecting biological systems and removing substances produced by tissue damage, and involves symptoms including enzymatic activation caused by inflammation-mediators and immunocytes present in local vessels or body fluids, secretion of inflammation-mediators, infiltration of body fluids, cell migration, tissue destruction, erythema, edema, fever, pain or the like. Such symptoms may cause dysfunction.
In a normal case, inflammation functions to remove external infectious agents or neutralize or remove disease factors and to regenerate damaged tissues and thereby to restore normal structures and functions through an in vivo inflammatory response. However, as antigens are not continuously removed or inflammation becomes serious over a predetermined level or chronic due to specific endogenous substances, diseases such as hypersensitiveness or chronic inflammation may disadvantageously propagate. Inflammatory response is found in most clinical diseases and enzymes involved in inflammatory response are known to play an important role in carcinogenesis. In addition, inflammation is an obstacle in the course of treatment such as blood transfusion, medication or organ transplantation.
An inflammatory response is involved in various biochemical events in vivo. In particular, inflammatory response is initiated or controlled by inflammatory response-associated enzymes produced by immunocytes.
As has recently been revealed, progression of in vivo inflammatory response is known to be involved in enzymatic activities of cyclooxygenase (COX). The COX enzyme is a main enzyme involved in biosynthesis of prostaglandin present in biological systems. Two iso-enzymes, i.e., COX-1 and COX-2, are known. COX-1 exists in tissues such as stomach or kidney and is responsible for maintenance of normal homeostasis. On the other hand, COX-2 is temporarily and rapidly expressed in cells by mitogens or cytokines upon inflammation or other immune responses.
Another potent inflammation mediator, nitric oxide (NO), is synthesized from L-arginine through NO synthetase (NOS) and is produced in various types of cells in response to exterior stress such as UV light, or substances such as endotoxins or cytokines. Such inflammation stimuli increase expression of inducible NOS (iNOS) in cells and induce production of NO in cells through iNOS, thus activating macrophage cells and resulting in inflammatory response.
Accordingly, research associated with substances inhibiting production of NO is recently underway for efficient alleviation of inflammation. However, anti-inflammatory substances developed through such research have several side effects. For example, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs used in the treatment of acute inflammatory diseases or chronic inflammatory diseases are known to inhibit both COX-2 enzymes and COX-1 enzymes and thus cause side effects such as gastrointestinal disorders.
Meanwhile, cosmetics are routinely used to protect the skin and realize beautification and cleanliness. However, cosmetic compositions utilize ingredients indispensable for formation of cosmetic products which are inconsistent with skin protection application. For example, the ingredients include surfactants, preservatives, flavorings, UV blockers, pigments and various ingredients to impart other efficacies and effects. The ingredients necessarily used for production of cosmetics are known to cause side effects, such as inflammation, pimples or edema, to the skin.
In addition, serum and sweat secreted from the body, and fatty acids, higher alcohols and proteins as cosmetic components are decomposed to highly toxic substances by resident flora present in the skin, thus inducing skin inflammation. It is well-known that UV light emitted from the sun may also induce skin inflammation.
As such, factors causing skin side effects are always potential in cosmetics and a variety of research has been made to solve the factors. Substances used to date to alleviate irritation such as erythema or edema and inflammation include non-steroid substances such as flufenamic acid, ibuprofen, benzydamine and indomethacin, steroid substances such as prednisolone and dexamethasone. Allantoin, azulene, ε-aminocaproic acid, hydrocortisone, licorice acid and derivatives thereof (β-glycyrrhizinic acid, glycyrrhizinic acid derivatives) are known to be effective in anti-inflammation.
However, indomethacin, generally used as an anti-inflammatory agent, is unsuitable for use in cosmetics, hydrocortisone has a limited dose, licorice acid and derivatives thereof do not provide substantial effects due to limited concentration upon practical application caused by difficulty in stabilization or poor solubility. Use of most anti-inflammatory agents known to date is limited due to problems in terms of skin safety or stability upon cosmetic mixing.
In addition, mechanisms of therapeutic agents associated with gastritis are primarily associated with H2-blockers which block the second histamine receptor (H2 receptor) to reduce secretion of gastric acid from parietal cells. The reduced gastric acid prevents additional damage of damaged parietal cells (such as gastric ulcers). Such H2-blockers disturb metabolisms of other drugs, that is, potent inhibitors of P-450 in the liver, and thus require attention when administered in combination with other drugs. H2-blockers may cause side effects such as gynecomastia, impotence and hypoactive sexual desire disorder may occur in men due to exhibit anti-androgen effects. In addition, H2-blockers pass through the placenta and cerebrovascular barriers, thus causing more dangerous side effects to pregnant women or the elderly, and resulting in headache, confusion, stupor or dizziness.
Accordingly, there is a need for substances which are derived from natural substances, efficiently inhibit production of NO, inhibit expression of iNOS and TNF-a, efficiently inhibit activities of COX-2 enzymes, exhibit excellent anti-inflammatory effects, and have little or no side effects or cytotoxicity and thus have almost no limit in terms of content because they are derived from natural substances.
In particular, at present, research and development associated with anti-inflammatory drugs as natural medicines using natural ingredients, or cosmetics or cosmetic components using natural ingredients in order to satisfy consumer demands are actively underway.
In addition, an anti-pyretic drug is a medicine which acts to lower fever, elevated body temperature, and is also referred to as an anti-pyretic and analgesic drug because it generally acts to alleviate both fever and pain.
Currently believed hypothesis regarding action mechanism associated with the anti-pyretic drug is that the anti-pyretic drug inhibits biosynthesis of prostaglandin (PG) and thereby alleviates fever and realizes anti-pyretic action.
Specifically, upon fever, prostaglandin levels in thermoregulatory centers of the hypothalamus increase. For this reason, fever activity is inhibited and anti-pyretic effect is thus obtained by reducing prostaglandin levels in the thermoregulatory centers. In addition, prostaglandin is a known pain-inducing mediator. However, a variety of mechanisms associated with fever symptoms have been suggested.
Currently prescribed anti-pyretic drugs include salicylic acid derivatives such as aspirin, aniline derivatives such as acetanilide and phenacetin, and pyrazolone derivatives such as antipyrine, aminopyrine or sulpyrine. In addition, among anti-inflammatory drugs, there are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs having anti-pyretic and analgesic actions such as indomethacin.
As described above, correlation between anti-pyretic and analgesic actions and anti-inflammatory effects, that is, inflammation-alleviating effects, is often found. However, some drugs have no almost anti-inflammatory action, but have potent anti-pyretic action, whereas other drugs have almost no anti-pyretic action, but have potent anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, anti-inflammatory effect is determined to be not necessarily directly related to anti-pyretic and analgesic effects.
Accordingly, there is a need for development of substances which are derived from natural substances, not chemicals causing problems involved in various side effects, such as aniline agents causing acute intoxication, exhibit superior anti-pyretic action and have almost no risk of the side effects or cytotoxicity because they are derived from natural substances.
In particular, at present, research and development associated with anti-inflammatory drugs as natural medicines using natural ingredients in order to satisfy consumer demands are actively underway.